Sliding door.



PATENTED MAR.. 5, 1907.

A. L. LEWIS. SLIDING DOOR..

APILIGATIQN FILED MAR. 29, 190e.

um! ml .minimi-WW UNITED 's'rngrps intr-ENT ferr-ICE.

i ANDREW'L.' LEwi-s, orl rnrnnsune, vineinni.-

' summe Doon.

Nasce-,324.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patentes-name 5,1907.

Application filed March 29, 1906., Serial N 308.79).l

To cir/Z whom zt may concern: f

Be it known that LAANDRE'W L. Lnwis, a citizen of 'the United States, residing at Petersbur in the county of Dinwiddie and State of Tirginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in. Sliding Doors, of

` which the following is a specification.

This invention relates -to sliding doors particularly adapted for use on cars; and the primary object of the same is to provide a device oi this class'with antiirictional engaging means at the upper and lower extremities and at an intermediate point to obstruct any* tendency of binding of the door at vany point and facilitate the opening and closing move- 'ments of the door, as well 'as to compensate for shrinkage, warpage, and settling of the parts ofthe door structure and the car side to which-it is applied.

rihe invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.'

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva- I tion oi a portion of a car side,'showing the improved sliding-door organization ap lied thereto. Fi 2 is a transverse vertic'a tion throng secthe parts shown by Fig; 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3,'

F1 1. Y 4 Similar numerals of referenceare employed to indicate corresponding'parts in the several views.

direction, being permitted to obvia'te jamming or binding and to compensate for shrinkage or settlingof the parts' of the car structure adjacent to 4the door. The upper track includes a metallic strip 6, which 1sV let into a longitudinal slot 7, extending over the door or opening 2 and secured ,by suitable fastenings. By securing the'strip 6 in the longitudinal slots, as specitied,.any tendency toward loosening of the said strip will be obviated in view ofv the fact that the lower edge thereof bears against the iower marginal sheathing-strip 8, the' inner .o pppsi the door; .with upper andlower operating-grips 19 vand wan of the Slot 7. 5 Aamgd .pmiieliwah and at a sui-tabledistance outwardly from4 the ,metallic strip 6 isa second metallic sides of the two strips bein yro lers'Q, applied to oppositel si e t e door 5 through the medium of suitable carrying-plates 1 0, let into the front and' vrearsides oi' the upper extremity o the door,

so as to provide a vflusliittmg.

The rollers 9 have loose movement and serve as upper antifrictionalmeans for easing the operation ofthe door,

ing the upper extremity of` the latter from moving inwardly or outwardly. The lowerl tracklconsists of `1nner and outermetallic strips 11 and'12,'the inner strip 11 being s'ecured to the car sides close to the lower terminal of lthe opening 2 and the outer strip 12 also secured to the car side b Between thetwo strips l11 an 12 a series of longitudinally-alined rollers 14 Aare mounted and are located near to the lower edges of the said strips, so'as to form a way sufficiently deep to receive the lower endsofthe door 5.

as wel] as preventbrackets 13.

The lower end of the door 5 has armetallic wear-strap` l5 secured thereoverto Contact with the rollers14, the latter being arranged close enough to prevent anv sagging tendency of the door. the. adjacent side wall of the opening 2 and nearer to the latter wallupper and loweranti- Between the limitmg-stop 4 and frictional rollers 16y are held inthe car side by I y carrying-l lates17, which are let into slotsorrecesses usli with the said car side.

The inner side of the door has" a air of me' tallic wear-stra full from one side to the other and counter. sun to contact with the rollers 16. These wear-stra s also have the additional function of strength s 18 extending 't ereacross" ening the door 5 and-obviat'ing to a materlal extent.warpageformisshaping of The door 5 will also', be provided a suit'a e fastening 20. t v

From the foregoing descri tio'n the' operation of fthe door will be rea4 ilyunderstood, and the advantages accruing from the dispo# sition of the rollers ,as stated, is that no part of the door can become jammed, and. it may be' qlpickly opened and closed. "Furthermore, `t e role rs are So arranged'boifh in thefdoor and in connection with the car side thatthe c will not be affected' by vibration or-jar insti? i tuted by movement of the car."4 It-wi l also be vseen that the imprdved 4slidi I cc 1ing-door organization may be readily applied to a car side.

While the-improved features have heen doscribed as being applied to one door, it will lie understood that they lnay be equally well used with double doors and that instead of using the saine with a car they might be ein'- ployed in connection with barn or other doors. Y

` Having thus described the invention7 what is claimed isi A "sliding-door organization comprisinga a support having an upper track free oi rollers and including inner and outer metallic 1n om.-

hers, a lower track heving inner and outer members with longitudinally-ahmed rollers held therebetu een and below the upper ed ges thereof, upper and lower vertieally-alined rollers on the support between the upper and lower tracks, and a door engaging the tracks at its upper and lower extremities and having` the weight thereof imposed on the lower rollers exclusively, the said door heilig pro vided with rollers projecting from the inner and outer surfaces of' the upper end thereof, the said inner rollers being adjacent to the endsiof the door andan outer roller located at about the center of the same, and the inter-mediate portion of the inner side of the door having-metallic strips extending fully thereac-ross which are held in Contact with the vertically-alined rollers between the upper and lower tracks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW L. LEWIS. Iitnesses C. Il. ELL'INeToN, C. L. THOMAS. 

